


Hold Me Tight or Don't

by UnknownSatellite84



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Canon-Typical Violence, Death Threats, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Future Fic, Gift Fic, Humor, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, Post-Divorce, Protective Joe West, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 16:56:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15417459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownSatellite84/pseuds/UnknownSatellite84
Summary: It was about time.





	Hold Me Tight or Don't

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Serenityreview](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenityreview/gifts).



> I wrote this fic for Serenityreview because her b-day was yesterday! Happy late birthday! :)  
> A special thanks to the eobarry discord as usual for being so helpful and motivating!

Barry arrived on the scene, spotting the yellow-and-black-suited figure with ease. Even with the indistinct outline of his vibrating form, Barry could see it. A smirk upon his face. One he knew too well. Barry threw his punch at said face. His fist grazed but missed, his nemesis vanishing into nothing. His glowing red eyes were imprinted on the back of Barry's eyelids, an afterimage. The scarlet lightning still tingled in the air, sending shivers through his body. Almost as if this was an illusion...an eerie dream.

Barry hadn’t seen _him_ in a long while. Too long. So long he hadn't believed it when he'd heard who he was up against. The absence had been awful, unnerving and empty. But now Reverse Flash was here. Real. Solid. And things felt strangely better for the first time in a long time - routine and familiar.

But... It was also worse...

Barry shook his head, trying to clear it from memories that threatened to cloud in and distract him.

Sudden anger pooled in his gut.

And then they were running together, the world a still life painting around them.

“Where have you been?!” Barry yelled, ducking to avoid a return hit. It had been too easy to dodge. It may have just been his perception of things, but it almost seemed half-hearted, like Thawne wasn't even trying. “ _Where have you been?!_ ” He repeated, chasing the yellow, black, and red blur. He thought he heard a faint chuckle, sending fresh fury crashing through his body. How was any of this fucking _funny_? _“ANSWER ME, BASTARD!”_

He spurred himself forward until he was on the other man’s tail, reaching out with his hand. _D_ _éjà vu_ filled him, and the memory of his younger self who couldn't hope to keep up, reaching for his foe, just out of reach, ran through his mind. His enemy's electricity stung his face, the scent of ozone and ashes lingering in the air. But Barry was so much faster now. Faster than The Reverse.

Thawne ducked and veered away. Barry twisted to follow. They raced side by side, their respective Speed Force energies clashing and burning. Heart pumping, Barry prepared to lash out.

His enemy spoke at last in distorted, vibrating tones. _“You know where I’ve been."_ Barry bared his teeth and struck, clawing out at brilliant eyes. Thawne laughed, a noise that reverberated through Barry’s skull like a base drum. _“Or perhaps you don’t.”_   Thawne grabbed his wrist and twisted it. Barry yelped. He hadn't seen the movement. _“I sometimes forget that you are so vastly different than_  him _."_ Barry stared, breath hitching.

Thawne tripped him, sending him sprawling. Barry grunted and rolled over, chastising himself for getting distracted. He rubbed his sore arm.

“Oh god, come _on_ ,” groaned a voice in Barry’s ear. It was Cisco over the comms. “This is taking forever. This should've been over ten minutes ago! Do you need help or something?”

“No,” Barry responded with more annoyance than he meant. He stood, glaring at his foe. His fists clenched. “You still haven’t answered me."

_“I never left.”_

“What? What the hell does that-?”

_“-To me, I never left... To you, I was gone. See, I merely jumped from one time to another. You’re always here.”_

Barry stomped forward, closing the distance between them. He jabbed a finger at the Reverse Flash’s chest. “It’s been _four_ years!” he cried, shaking, emotions threatening to explode out of him. “Do you- Do you have any idea _what’s happened!?_ I- You _vanished_ , with no warning, with no trace, left no message, _nothing_!”

 _“I know what happened,”_ Thawne replied. The glow faded, and his blurred form became distinct as if cementing into reality. “And that’s why I left," he continued in his human voice.

“What?! _Why?!_ That makes no sense! You- I could've used your help-!”

“My  _help?_ With _what_?"

Silence.

"Are you referring to the invasion...?" Thawne took a step forward until there was barely any space between them, eyes seeming to peer into Barry's very soul "...or perhaps to the divorce?”

"I, no..." Barry’s eyes filled with tears. “I…" he drew a shuddering breath, "I don’t know why I said that. It’s not like you _care-”_ He sobbed, pressing his fists to his eyes as tears ran freely. It was better if he wasn't looking at him. “You're still the villain here... I guess, t-that time you helped save Central- And then when you helped with the meta outbreak...and then when I realized you hadn't committed a single crime in years... I guess I thought, I thought maybe, maybe things were changing- maybe you- you didn’t hate me after- after everything. Maybe y-you wanted things to be different- a-after everything we did together, and those last moments we shared, before you disappeared, when we stood by the lake-”

Thawne crushed their lips together.

Barry blinked, letting out a muffled noise.

He heard a soft, shocked gasp.

_Caitlin?_

Oh shit. He forgot the others were on the comms!

“Ugh, it’s about _time_!” Cisco exclaimed, crunching on something. “I even made popcorn! I thought I was going to get a whole feature-length movie here of you two chasing each other around all day, getting steadily closer and closer and then-”

That broke Barry out of his stupor. He jerked away from Thawne's lips, but an arm around his waist stopped him from retreating very far. He looked at his enemy, appalled. Thawne was grinning again. He realized he could still taste the other man on his tongue. He shuddered, but not from disgust.

“Indeed," said another voice.

“ _Harry_?!”

“I think in this case, Allen, a blind mouse could’ve seen it coming. Not the wisest decision, but no one ever accused you of being wise, now did they?” He sighed. “So listen closely, _Thawne_ , if anything happens to Allen, I will kill you, then everyone in this room, and then myself.”

" _Damn_ , Harry, chill!" Cisco exclaimed.

Thawne merely chuckled.

Barry shifted uncertainly. “You guys… You aren’t mad?”

Caitlin replied, “I’m...well- _mad_ isn’t the word I’d use. _Perplexed_. I’m perplexed. No offense, Barry, but doesn't this seem like a really, _really_  dumb idea?”

"Uhhh..." _Probably?_

Cisco spoke, "I've dated a villain before."

"Cynthia wasn't _that_ bad."

“Dude, she _murdered_ people for a living without any conscience for them breaking one little law! ...Anyway, Barry, do you _know_ how much you’ve vented about _Eobard this_ and _Eobard that_ for like _, ever?_ I’m just glad I don’t have to hear it anymore.”

“You’ll probably still hear it,” Caitlin said, “it’ll just be for very different reasons.”

“Uh, Wally?” Barry asked nervously. "You there?"

“Yeah," the other speedster answered, "uh, wow- I mean, a super villain wouldn’t be my first choice, dude, but… it’s your decision, you do you... All I’m worried about is Dad. He’s not gonna stop ranting ‘bout this for _weeks_.”

Barry ducked his head and groaned, his face burning.

Thawne reached up to Barry's ear and clicked the comms off. “You can deal with the fallout later,” he said, fingers moving to rest under Barry’s chin. He tilted Barry's head up. “Kiss me.”

And so, Barry did, and everything else melted away.

* * *

There was a heavy knocking on the apartment door. Barry opened it. "Oh, Joe!"

"Where is he?!"

"Joe, please-"

"Not now, Barry, where the hell is he!?"

"I'm right here," Eobard said, stepping into the room.

Joe raised his gun and fired it multiple times. Barry felt his eyes widen. Time slowed, and Barry twisted around, snatching the bullets away. Eobard sighed with something like resignation and grabbed the last two. Back to regular time, Barry turned to find Joe surging forward.

"Goddamn you!" Joe yelled at Eobard, "I'm going to _kill you_ , you son of a bitch!"

"Joe! Hey! Stop!" Barry exclaimed, getting between them, "stop!" He grabbed Joe's arms to keep him from attacking Eobard.

"Eobard, would you give us a minute," Barry said. Eobard shrugged and strolled back out of the room.

"This isn't over, Thawne!" Joe called after him, scowling and tense. "What the hell, Barr!? He's right there, we can bring him in, we just need Caitlin and Cisco-"

"Joe, what are you talking about? I don't want him brought in!"

"You... you don't?" Joe asked, eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He is genuine, okay? He doesn't want to hurt me."

"Isn't he blackmailing you?"

"No, he isn't."

"Barr..." Joe sighed, rubbing his temples. "Did you finally loose all your senses? That man is _Eobard Thawne_! That man killed your mother, Barr!"

"Joe," Barry said, putting his hand on his foster father's arm. "I know. And that was a long time ago. It's been almost thirty years. A lot has changed..."

It had been a long time. Barry could see the lines on his foster father's face, the gray in his hair, the glasses on his face. Barry knew that in comparison, he himself hadn't aged one bit. Despite this evidence of age, though, Joe seemed to have only gotten more fiercely protective of those he cared about and even more indestructible with time. He'd seen too much in his life, Barry couldn't help but think.

"Look, Barr, I know it's been hard since...since Iris left, but you can't just start dating psychopaths and criminals!"

"Yes, I can, Joe," Barry pointed out. "And he's not a criminal anymore!"

"He's still a psychopath and a freak, and his crimes don't go away just because he quit committing them!"

"Well, he seems to care more about me than _Iris_ ever did, or anyone else I've ever dated, for that matter."

"That's not true, and you know it."

"Then where is she, Joe? Huh? She's not here! And neither are my kids!"

Joe finally holstered his gun, sighing, looking defeated. "I don't think I could ever trust that man."

"I get it."

"But if you promise me you'll be careful, alright? Some men can't be fixed."

"I feel like this one can."

"Well...you were right about Snart. Maybe...maybe you're right about him. I just don't see it."

"People surprise us." Barry hesitated. "And besides...he's agreed to see a therapist."

Joe shook his head. Suddenly, he hugged Barry. "I love you, Barr."

"I love you too." Barry drew back. "Just give him a chance, okay?"

"I need...I need to think about this," Joe said. "Just...please stay safe." And he turned and left.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope the characterization was right for the others. I haven't seen the show in a long while.


End file.
